Wage Theft » Kansas

Unpaid Wage Cases in Kansas

Since 2005 the U.S. Department of Labor has found $46.4M in back wages owed to 55,428 Kansas workers, in 2,794 cases, and assessed $8.8M in penalties. 501 cases involved child labor violations covering 2,274 minors.

$46.4MBack wages employers agreed to pay
55,428Workers owed back wages
2,794Cases with back wages

What workers weren't paid

Overtime not paid$26.6M (57%)
Prevailing wage on government contracts$8.7M (19%)
Other laws (farmworker, visa, leave and more)$5.8M (13%)
Below minimum wage$5.4M (12%)

Industries with the most back wages

Full-Service Restaurants$7.7M (16%)
Telephone Call Centers$3M (6%)
Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors$2.2M (5%)
Janitorial Services$1.2M (2%)
Custom Computer Programming Services$1M (2%)
Home Health Care Services$984K (2%)
Limited-Service Restaurants$886K (2%)
Pharmacies and Drug Stores$853K (2%)
Landscaping Services$750K (2%)
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers$692K (1%)

Cases with back wages by year

05010015020010220051222006134200713120081062009170201017120111932012185201315620141632015133201619020171732018196201985202092202177202260202345202419202552026

By city

CityBack wagesWorkersCases
Overland Park$6M 7,662209
Wichita$5.7M 12,804615
Lawrence$3.9M 2,98580
Kansas City$3.6M 3,297176
Fort Riley$2.4M 71440
Coffeyville$2.1M 42711
Topeka$1.9M 2,455175
Olathe$1.8M 2,672106
Shawnee$1.7M 2,35461
Lenexa$1.3M 1,83989
Leavenworth$1.1M 53526
Manhattan$1.1M 1,25866
Salina$851K 94852
Leawood$772K 80646
Gardner$707K 15916
Junction City$638K 62032
Garden City$578K 38135
Hutchinson$494K 43326
Mission$457K 74924
Parsons$321K 33517
Pittsburg$276K 96820
Ottawa$248K 23110
Winfield$188K 27116
El Dorado$187K 38623
Hays$177K 29322
Derby$175K 30618
Great Bend$170K 30923
Goodland$149K 12912
Newton$144K 36121
Dodge City$122K 25419
Abilene$120K 7613
Stilwell$114K 10312
Iola$105K 11710
Independence$95,745 7010
Pratt$94,993 11115
Fort Scott$87,215 13015
Atchison$86,356 17810
Liberal$73,560 13413
Emporia$66,557 10521
Wamego$41,211 11012

Cities with at least 10 cases with back wages.

Labor and employment lawyers in Kansas

Lawbamba lists 3 labor and employment lawyers with an office in Kansas, the practice area that deals with the wage theft cases on this page. These 3 come first in that listing (how the order is set).

Ms. Kelly J. Rundell
Hite, Fanning & Honeyman L.L.P.
Labor and Employment, Municipal Liability, Litigation
Wichita · 4.4★ from 49 reviews
Gregory P. Goheen
McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips, P.A.
Labor and Employment, Civil Rights, Antitrust
Kansas City · 4.6★ from 5 reviews
Stephen M. Joseph
Joseph Hollander & Craft
Labor and Employment, Criminal Defense, Criminal Appeals
Overland Park · 5.0★ from 2 reviews

Matched by practice area and office location only. These lawyers are not connected to the records on this page and have not reviewed or endorsed it.

Owed wages by a Kansas employer?

Compare employment lawyers in Kansas

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Source: the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforcement data (every concluded compliance action since fiscal year 2005), from the DOL Open Data Portal, loaded November 9, 2026. “Back wages” is the amount employers agreed to pay workers after an investigation found they were underpaid; dates are the end of the period the investigation covered. Employer names and addresses are as DOL publishes them. Federal cases only: state labor departments and private lawsuits recover more that isn't counted here.

Lawbamba is not affiliated with the Department of Labor, and this page is general information, not legal advice.